


What’s Cookin’, Good Looking?

by Daphnean



Series: Soo Saptember [20]
Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Not K-Pop Idols, Cooking, Dinner, Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, M/M, Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-20
Updated: 2018-09-20
Packaged: 2019-07-14 18:33:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,903
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16046195
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Daphnean/pseuds/Daphnean
Summary: Jongdae could help make dinner for Kyungsoo's parents, nervous or not.





	What’s Cookin’, Good Looking?

Sufficiently out of things to clean, Jongdae could only wait in the kitchen for Kyungsoo to return from his shopping trip. The oven was preheating and he had all of the utensils set out around the kitchen for the various dishes the intended on making for the evening.

Jongdae had tried to seem upbeat, all morning, but nerves were stewing in his stomach, threatening to boil over. This would be his first time meeting Kyungsoo’s parents, and while Kyungsoo reassured him they’d adore him, Jongdae still wanted everything to go smoothly. This had led to a deep clean of their tidy apartment and making dinner.

This wasn’t an unusual habit, they cooked together most nights when Jongdae didn’t work late at the hospital, but aiming to impress, Jongdae had snuggled close to Kyungsoo on the couch a week ago, scrolling through different recipes they could try on his phone. Kyungsoo had indulged him with lazy kisses and said he’d even buy them aprons, so as not to dirty their outfits before his parents arrived.

Like one of their puppies, Jongdae perked when he heard the keys at the door. Ink was too lazy to move from the couch, but Pepper had scurried into the entryway, dashing a figure eight around Jongdae’s feet as Kyungsoo breached the doorway, bags hanging from both arms.

“Here, let me get some of those for you, babe.” Jongdae kissed the corner of Kyungsoo’s mouth, working the bags from his left hand.

Kyungsoo chuckled, not even looking down as he stepped around Pepper. “You’re getting worse than the girls, greeting me at the door. I was even back early. You really are wound up about all this, huh?”

Already in the kitchen, Jongdae peered back out at him, smile sharp. “It’s only the man I love’s parents coming over to scrutinize me when I _know_ me and I don’t even know how I landed you in the first place.”

“By being wonderful?” Kyungsoo somehow managed to take off his shoes in the doorway, navigate around Pepper, and make his way into the kitchen unscathed. “Jongdae, you donate to churches of faiths you don’t even believe, work once a month in the soup kitchen, and are genuinely fantastic otherwise? Gorgeous? All this insecurity...makes me wonder if I’ve done a good enough job in supporting your ego.”

Jongdae was already lining up the lasagna ingredients along the largest stretch of counter (Kyungsoo was doing that, while Jongdae worked on the red velvet cake for dessert). He paused, sighing as he sat the ricotta down, fingers drumming on the lid. “Now don’t turn this around on me. This is my pity party, not the “Kyungsoo makes a fair point” celebration.”

Laughing, Kyungsoo started to unload the rest of the bags onto their table (currently being used for extra counter space in their tiny apartment kitchen). “So about the aprons...”

“I’ll tie a towel around my waist if I have to.” Jongdae was already at the sink, washing his hands as he whined on. “I didn’t spend an hour choosing an outfit to ruin it with cake batter bukkake.”

That really had Kyungsoo laughing, coming over to smack Jongdae lightly on the arm. “Gross. They only had the worst sort. So we have choices.”

Holding one in each hand, Jongdae could see why Kyungsoo had been torn. Hanging from his right hand was a black “Hot Stuff Coming Through” apron, with a chili pepper underneath. The other was frilly around the edges, in shades of pink and green, reading “What’s Cookin’, Good Looking?”

It was Jongdae’s turn to laugh, pitching forward as he tried to imagine his boyfriend’s face in the checkout line as he placed both aprons on the belt. “You really had no choice, did you?”

“I don’t know which is more hideous, so I’ll let you choose.” Kyungsoo wiggled them both, in almost a terrible Vanna White impression.

Jongdae tapped his lip with indecision, once he recovered from his laughing spell, and took the frilly one. “I look better in pink.”

Nimbly, Kyungsoo ducked down, apron looping around his neck as he moved to tie it behind himself. “I swore you were gonna make me wear that one. Good thing I’m not a gambler.”

Swatting his hands away, Jongdae moved to tie the apron on his boyfriend instead. “Next time we’ll switch.”

“I can handle that.” Kyungsoo turned once he was settled in his apron, moving to help Jongdae suit up as well. “So you still want to work on the cake?”

“I think so.” He resisted running a hand through his hair, as he just finished washing them. “And I’m gonna make the salad and put the bread in too, right? Since you’re gonna be pretty busy with the lasagna.”

Kyungsoo took his turn at the sink, washing his hands. “It will take some time to get all together. Want to pick out what we’re going to listen to this time?”

Jongdae didn’t need to be told twice, already on his phone. “We feeling a podcast, playlist, movie…?”

Already getting a pan out to brown the ground beef, Kyungsoo was in airplane mode, as Jongdae teasingly called it. When there was a task Kyungsoo was set out to do, his focus would be so intent that sometimes it was hard to pull him from it. This made him a brilliant editor, and more stubborn than a red wine stain on white carpet. He was hoping to get an answer before he lost his boyfriend completely to his work.

“Music for now?” Kyungsoo had moved over to the cutting board, an onion in hand. “What’s that music you’ve been into lately? Electric swing?”

“Electro Swing.” Jongdae gently corrected, pulling up his favorite playlist on YouTube. “It’s just so jazzy and fun.”

Kyungsoo hummed in confirmation. “Makes me want to dance. Probably not the best idea when I have a knife, but oh well.”

Laughing, Jongdae took out the three baking pans he was using for the cake, spraying them down with cooking spray. As the music started up, he started to rock his hips as he worked. “At least you can dance at all.”

“You dance well with me. Especially to the slow songs. That’s all that matters, right?” He could see Kyungsoo’s head moving to the beat as he looked back at him.

Jongdae was charmed, as always, by Kyungsoo’s smooth responses to his criticisms. “Tell that to Sehun and Jongin. Last time we went to the club, Sehun asked if I had three left feet instead of just two.”

“Next time just remind him you get laid on a regular basis.” Kyungsoo was ruthless, but it was all in good fun. He tossed a grin over his shoulder as he added the onions to the pan. “That will shut him up.”

Conversation began to taper off as they both became engrossed in their work. The kitchen was a mix of smells, the stringent onions and seasonings meshing with the rich sweetness of the red velvet batter. Months of practice had them both moving about the kitchen, and around each other, with ease.

Some time later, Jongdae was pouring the last of the cake batter into a pan. Holding up the whisk and empty bowl, he walked over to Kyungsoo. “Taste test, Mr. Do?”

Kyungsoo looked away from the pot boiling with noodles and the other pan on the stove, smile blooming on his face. “You mean the best part? Absolutely.”

Jongdae had to keep his wits about him as Kyungsoo licked a stripe up the side of the utensil, raising a brow.

Two could play at that. Jongdae ran a finger through the batter remaining in the bowl and sucked it off his finger with an obscene pop.

Kyungsoo’s eyes darkened and he took another messy lick on the whisk. “You’re insatiable.”

“Says the man frenching a whisk.” Jongdae moaned after his next suck. “Too bad we don’t have time for a quickie.”

“You’ll pay for that later.” Kyungsoo’s threat wasn’t to be taken lightly; Jongdae had something to anticipate once the in-laws left.

Jongdae plucked the batter-free whisk from his boyfriend’s hand, kissing the batter from the corner of his mouth. “Oh I’m counting on it, babe.”

He was rewarded with a smack on the ass. Laughter spilled from him as he tossed the dishes in the sink. “Scoot your butt over so I can put these in the oven.”

The play continued as they worked together on the meal. The kitchen went from varying degrees of disastrous until the lasagna went into the oven and the salad into the fridge. The break until the cake cooled gave them time to catch up on the cleaning. Kyungsoo washed while Jongdae dried, bumping their hips between putting the various dishes back in place.

“Still nervous?” Kyungsoo asked as he pulled the plug in the sink, suds swirling around the drain. He started to dry his hands on a spare dishtowel.

Jongdae realized that in the swing of the music, their little bouts of banter and cooking, that he hadn’t really been thinking about the time. A quick check on his phone and he realized they only had an hour left; just enough time to frost the cake and settle before Kyungsoo’s parents showed.“Actually...is this why you decided to cook with me?” Jongdae moved to hug Kyungsoo from behind, chin hooked on his shoulder.

Leaning back against him, Kyungsoo chuckled. His voice was almost deadpan as he responded, “Oh no. You caught me.”

“Soo,” Jongdae whined, pressing a kiss onto his neck. “How dare you know just how to distract me? I would have been losing my mind if we’d gone out to eat or ordered in.”

“I’d love to claim I’m a genius, but honestly...I was nervous too.” Kyungsoo confessed, tilting his head so Jongdae could direct his kisses further up.

Pausing just beneath his ear, Jongdae was curious. “You? But why?”

“I’ve never had a boyfriend meet my parents before. It means...well, my parents both asked me what it meant. And I know we’ve talked about a future together...” Kyungsoo sighed, turning in his arms to face him. “But this makes it real. This is a step in that direction. I’m ready for it, but it’s still terrifying.”

Jongdae leaned in, pressing a soft kiss to his boyfriend’s mouth. One hand moved to his jaw, while he felt one of Kyungsoo’s rest on his chest. The kiss tasted of garlic powder and a bit too sweet, with all the other smells in the air, but Jongdae didn’t want to pull away.

“I’m ready too.” Jongdae rested their foreheads together as he pulled back from the kiss. “Even if my whining says otherwise.”

Kyungsoo’s smile was audible; Jongdae didn’t have to look down to see it. “Come on, Dae. Let’s frost that cake so maybe I sneak in a little more of this in before my parents get here.”

Jongdae pulled back at that, giving a little salute. “Yes, sir.”

Suddenly, with Kyungsoo’s admission, Jongdae felt a little bit more ready than before. Maybe he couldn’t dance without the right partner, maybe he would always need Kyungsoo to pipe the borders on his cakes, but Kyungsoo couldn’t hit the low notes he could and needed him to get the dog’s leashes untangled on the puppies’ morning walks. They worked best together; like this.

**Author's Note:**

> I have to reiterate just how much I love ChenSoo. It's always just such a joy to play with their personalities, no matter how mundane the scenario. I was inspired a bit by the two of them cooking together in EXO Showtime, but mostly by Kyungsoo cooking in general. The broadcasts where he's made food have always been so soft and I'm so, so weak for them. There's one more ChenSoo after this in Saptember, for any of my shippers out there wanting more.
> 
> EXO and all other Kpop entertainers presented here are real people and so I remind you that this is just a fic, like a play with their stage personas as the actors. This is not intended to be a representation of who these men and women are or are not. Remember to love and respect them always. And thanks for reading! <3


End file.
